


To The Extremes

by AnonymouseAndKeyboard



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Anxiety Attacks, Bullying, Gen, I have no idea what I'm doing, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Rumors, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-07
Updated: 2018-09-09
Packaged: 2019-05-19 07:29:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 6,835
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14869370
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnonymouseAndKeyboard/pseuds/AnonymouseAndKeyboard
Summary: The Extremes were a newly emerging group of people with supernatural abilities. They also had one aspect of their personality that was far stronger than usual. These people were loved because everyone secretly thinks that superpowers are awesome, but hated because, well, they’re crazy powerful. Only an Extreme can defeat an Extreme. Virgil was one of these.





	1. Discovering

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first fic ever to be posted online, so I have no idea what I'm doing.

Virgil closed his eyes when he couldn’t back up any further, to focus on keeping the shadows around him still. Someone discovering that he actually was one of the feared and loved Extremes would not help his case. 

 

The Extremes were a newly emerging group of people with supernatural abilities. They also had one aspect of their personality that was far stronger than usual. These people were loved because everyone secretly thinks that superpowers are awesome, but hated because, well, they’re crazy powerful. Only an Extreme can defeat an Extreme.

 

And so here he was, backed up against a wall by some jocks in the year above him that believed he was an Extreme and hated him for it. He threw his senses out, trying to work out if anyone was coming to help or if he should try to fight - without his powers, of course - until he was in a position he could make a getaway from. Unfortunately, no help was on the way, not even one of the random passersby that would usually be walking down the street that the alley he was trapped in led off of. As the main bully raised his fist to throw a punch, something in him snapped.  _ Fuck it. Let’s show these goons what they’re messing with. _

 

Virgil threw his hand up in a way one would to shield their face, commanding the darkness he controlled to follow suit. After his oppressor’s fist hit his wall of gloom with a not-so-satisfying  _ thud _ , he brought his hand down slightly, and commanded the shadows look like a black flame. In the second before the group of antagonists would flee, he snapped his eyes open to look at the cowering group. His eyes had turned purple.  _ Shit. I guess there’s no hiding now. _


	2. Reacting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We meet our new protagonists, and see peoples reactions to the new Extreme.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is set in Melbourne, because I don't understand the American school system. Enjoy!

“Did you see that?”

 

“See what?”

 

“That emo kid. Virgil. His eyes are… purple.”

 

“What? They’re brown, aren’t they?”

 

“They were, yes.”

 

“He’s an Extreme? Why show it now?”

 

“He might not have a choice. I read a theory that Extremes eye colour changes after they use their abilities in the open. He may have been pressured into using them.”

 

“Oh. I know that Extremes are, like, bad, but I can’t help feeling sorry for them. Some of them probably wish they weren’t anything out of the ordinary.”

 

“You trust too easily.”

 

“Yeah… I know.” The two made their way through the crowded corridors to their next class, Media Arts. Sharing a class was a rarity for the two, as their interests differed greatly. As they walked into the classroom, the room was enveloped in whispers, all of them about the black-clad kid at the back of the room.

 

“So Dolos was right, he  _ is _ an Extreme. I wonder how he knew?”

 

“Monster.”

 

“He’s unnatural.”

 

“He’s so small, is he really dangerous?”

 

“He just seems scared.”

 

“It’s just an act, he’s probably trying to decide whether to kill or kidnap you.”

 

“I reckon he’s wearing contacts, the attention seeker.”

  
Meanwhile, Virgil himself had his headphones on and his eyes closed, clearly attempting to block out the world. Sighing internally, the twins that had just entered took the only two adjacent seats that were left, next to the teen trying to make himself as small as possible in the corner. At that moment the bell rang, and the class fell silent as Virgil took off his headphones and met the gaze of everyone in the class in turn, glaring at everyone bar the boy next to him, who was giving him a small, sincere smile.  _ Doesn’t he know what I am? _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be trying to get a longer chapter out every couple of days, but no promises, because school is awful.
> 
> <3


	3. Conspiring

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We have action! Well, almost, at least. Oh, and we meet our last main character.

Roman stood outside the room his Drama class is in, waiting for his friend Patton, who had to get there from the Media Arts room all the way across campus. Patton got there just as the bell rang, so they didn’t get a chance to talk until ten minutes into the fifty minute period, when they were given a partner project, choosing to be partners together. 

 

“Pat, do you know what’s up with all those rumors about there being an Extreme at the school? It’s all anyone’s talking about.”

 

“Yeah. Virgil, the emo kid in your music class, showed up to class today with purple eyes. Apparently Dolos’ gang almost beat him up around the back of the milk bar, and he just snapped. He hasn’t talked to anyone all day either, and just glares at anyone who dares to ask him about it.”

 

“I mean, it’s not like he talks to anyone anyway.”

 

“Well, he’ll usually say hi to Remy, and Joan and Talyn, won’t he? Remy and Talyn are in Media, and he didn’t so much as blink at them.”

 

“Well, it’s probably nothing. If he  _ is _ an Extreme, he’ll be able to handle himself. More than that, probably.”

 

“I dunno. I’ve got a feeling that something bad is gonna happen, and I feel awful not doing anything.”

 

“Tell you what, we’ll keep an eye on him, and if things look like they’re going south - if anyone gets physical about it - then we’ll do something. Does that make you feel better?”

 

“A bit. Thanks, Roman.”

 

“No probs, Pat. You have to have  _ someone  _ to talk to about all the emotional things the robot doesn’t understand.”

 

“You’re the best.”

 

“You are mistaken, dear Patton, for  _ you _ are! You are the kindest - and handsomest -  in all the land. Next to me, of course.” This was said with a grand sweeping gesture that made Patton giggle and turned heads, before people realised that it was just another dramatic proclamation from the aptly named Prince.

 

“Roman Prince, your enthusiasm and positivity is appreciated, but please stay on topic.”

 

“If you say so, sir!” The teacher rolled his eyes as Roman gave a salute at the end of his sentence. Every teacher that has taught Roman Prince has gotten used to his ‘extra’ personality, and he was lucky they have all been somewhat good-humoured about his antics. That doesn’t mean they don’t complain about him in the staffroom, however. If you walk in randomly during lunch break, there is a good chance someone will be there talking about his latest outburst. The rest of the period went smoothly, and the two met with Logan for lunch.

 

“How have your boring nerd classes been, Calculator Watch?”

 

“My classes have been satisfactory, save for the unnecessary whispering about Virgil Lilith.”

 

“Well, you know how it is. Everyone likes a good bit of gossip.”

 

“That may be so, but talking about it for an entire period just because the person in question happens to be in the class seems rather excessive.”

 

“People are talking about this for entire periods? How-” 

 

Roman was cut off by a chant of “Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!” coming from the other side of the large courtyard they had placed themselves on the edge of. Silently, the three friends got up and approached the commotion. Dolos - who in Roman’s opinion was no better than an opportunist and no worse than a thug - was staring Virgil down, obviously intending to beat the shit out of him. Vigil was trying to hold his own menacing glare, but the noise and people were obviously driving the emo into an anxiety attack. Seeing the obviously terrified kid surrounded by people awaiting entertainment at his loss made something in him snap.  _ Let’s give these idiots a taste of their own medicine.  _

 

He started pushing his way through the crowd, seeing Logan and Patton do the same on either side of him in his peripheral vision. He made it to the front just as Dolos was going to hit Virgil, and stepped between the two before the bully could make contact.

 

“Well, well, well, Little Princey’s stepping in to play the hero, I see. Got a crush on the Emo Extreme, have you?”

 

“Back down, Dolos. This isn’t your problem.”

 

“But it  _ is _ my problem, Little Princey. Extremes are dangerous, don’t you know. They always become villains, overcome by greed, or apathy. Surely weeding them out before they can do any damage to us is the best way to handle the problem?”

 

“Maybe, but it isn’t your place to do that. Leave it to the government, instead of turning beating one up into a spectator sport.”

 

“I see we are not going to agree. That’s fine. I’ll just get to have a little more fun today, that’s all.”

 

“You’re insane.”

 

“Thank you, darling. Any last words?”

 

“Eat. My. Dust.”


	4. Realising

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The fight escalates, and we make a few shocking discoveries.

_ “Any last words?” _

 

_ “Eat. My. Dust.” _

 

Dolos raised his fist, a twisted grin on his face. Once again, however, his blow never landed, as three beams of… something hit him. One was scarlet and flame like, one was something along the lines of green dust, and the last was a swirl of translucent whites and blues. The crowd watched, dumbfounded, as Dolos instinctively brought up an arm on to block the jets that would have hit him squarely in the chest. There was a burst of blinding yellow light as the beams hit their mark, and once the watchers eyesight had returned, Dolos was nowhere to be found. Somehow, the combination of the three powers had killed him and disintegrated the body.

 

Four figures now stood in the circle of people that had staggered back. Virgil, who had gotten his breathing under control, quickly took stock of the situation before jumping into action. Before outrage could break through the onlookers’ shocked stupor, he went and tapped his saviors on the shoulder, one by one converting them into a shadowy vapour, before doing the same to himself. The four citizens - runaways, now - reappeared in a back alley behind a string of houses. Three pairs of brightly coloured eyes stared at the others, attempting to comprehend what happened. The other was looking at his hands with a sort of mild curiosity.

 

“Huh. I didn’t know I could do that. Cool.” The other eyes snap to the purple ones, looking for an explanation.

 

Meanwhile, a puff of yellow smoke in a separate alley, relatively close to the school that would be all over the news soon, revealing a figure in a black, yellow-trimmed cloak. As the figure turned to walk into a nearby building, one of his eyes turned a vibrant yellow. It left an erie light hanging in the darkness. 

 

_ We’re getting there. Once we get rid of the Little Prince and his equally pathetic friends, nothing can stop us. We will rule the world. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a bit shorter than the last one, but I'd rather something with exactly what I imagined than one with a lot of filler.


	5. Answering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Exactly what the chapter title says. A few answers about what happened, as well as a bit of Virgil's backstory.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well this got darker than I originally intended it to. And it's relatively long, so there's that. 
> 
> TW: suicide and self harm mentions, there's also what is basically a list of insults, some of which mention some not good stuff, but it's brief (skip from "Why did I get held back" to 'Luckily, before he let him self spiral into a proper attack'.)
> 
> PLEASE, tell me if there's something I should've given a warning for. Stay safe!

“...Virgil? Where are we?” Logan was the first to get his wits back, at least partially.

 

“We’re behind Royal Arcade, and, at least for now, I wouldn’t recommend going anywhere.”

 

“And  _ how  _ did we get here, exactly?”

 

“Uhh, shadow teleportation? I think? Ask me that again in about two hours, when I’ve had time to experiment a bit.”

 

“You mean you don’t even know what you did?”

 

“Exactly. I’m not a miracle worker, or an expert. I’ve been trying not to use my powers for the last five years, terrified of what would happen if people knew. I don’t have everything under control here,this isn’t a lucid dream. You can’t wake up.”

 

“Well how much  _ do  _ you know? You clearly know the most out of all of us.”

 

“I know that we’re in big trouble. You three apparently killed someone and vapourised their body, and I teleported you away afterwards. We have no way to say that’s not what happened, unless one of you has telekinesis strong enough to alter the memories of at least 200 people within the span of half an hour, and even then you’d have to check every single person for knowledge of what happened, to be sure. We’re truly and utterly  _ fucked. _ Admit it.”

 

“Language, kiddo!” Virgil had no idea how Patton had looked like he was about to cry, and then was grinning the next second. But he guessed it wasn’t his business, anyway. As soon as he could without feeling like he was dooming the five of them, he was leaving.

 

“Fight me. And kiddo? Really? I’m older than all of you, you know.”

 

“Are you really?”  _ Is that a challenge, Princey? _

 

“Well unless you were on the older end of your year  _ and  _ got held back, I’m the oldest.”

 

“Why?”  _ Oh, god. _

 

“Why did I get held back? I attempted suicide. Twice. Recovery takes a long time. Happy?” The look on Roman’s face was  _ almost  _ worth him just confirming one of the few rumors Dolos wasn’t lying about. Keyword: Almost.

 

“... That was … sudden.” Yeah. They asked for it, though. And Virgil wasn’t about to outright lie anytime soon. He’d learned the adverse effects of that.

 

“Hmm… I swear everyone knew that at some point. The rumor circulated the school at least twice.” 

 

“Wait, were  _ all  _ of those rumors about you? They were always just ‘someone’.”

 

“Yep, every single of them. Only about half had any truth to them, and only four that I know of were completely, factually, true. Most people worked out they were about me, though.”  _ More like all. How ignorant are these three? _

 

“You must have quite the reputation, then.” A reputation was one of the few things Virgil owned, and he wasn’t happy about it.

 

“As a cannibal, as an undercover supervillain, an Extreme, a juvenile delinquent, constantly suicidal, abused at home, the unpleasant list goes on.”  _ Monster. Inhuman. Demon. Worshipper of Satan. Whore. Mute. Gay. Trans. Apathetic. Wild. Aggressive. Insane. Schizophrenic. Mental Asylum Escapee. Homeless. Pickpocket. Stockholm Syndrome. Pedophile. Idiot. Unwanted. Unnecessary. Bothersome. Useless. Robot. Black-hat Hacker. Vampire. Nerd. Halfwit. Emotionless. Pseudo-intellectual. Way too many of those are true. Why do I even try do be decent? I should just…  _

 

Luckily, before he could let himself spiral into a proper attack, a voice cut through his tangle of increasingly toxic thoughts.

 

“How did people even come up with some of those rumors?”  _ ‘Cause they’re mainly based in fact, dimwit. _ For some reason, Roman’s dramatics and curiosity allowed Virgil to pull himself together somewhat.

 

“I have  _ no _ idea, Princey. It _ totally _ wasn’t all one person.” The statement was positively  _ dripping  _ with sarcasm _ ,  _ so Roman would be able to work out he wasn’t being serious.

 

“It was one person starting all those rumors? What kind of person...”

 

“Yep, all one person. No prizes for guessing who.”

 

“The snake-face we just evaporated?”

 

“Exactly. Also, I don’t think that should’ve been possible. I can’t work out what actually happened, but I reckon something’s not right about that.”

 

“You’re correct, the events that led to us being… here do not make all that much sense, logically. However, none of us know what we’re doing, or how any of this works, so I cannot come up with a hypothesis that has any sort of plausibility to it.”

 

“So what are we going to do next?”

 

“Find a place to stay where we won’t get caught - hopefully get coloured contacts to hide our eye colours, work out what our powers can do and find a way to get ourselves off the hook for… whatever it is that just happened.”

 

“That seems a satisfactory plan. However, where are we going to find a place to stay? We’re teenagers with crazy eye colours, that match descriptions that will be put up everywhere.” Suddenly Virgil is holding a laptop, that he probably ‘shadow teleported’ to himself, and opening it, sitting cross-legged on top of a crate that had probably seen better days. In fact, it was a wonder to Logan that it would hold the boy’s weight. Then he realised that it was probably reinforced by the shadows Virgil seemed to have good control over. Suddenly, the emo teen started typing faster than the other three had ever seen, fingers flying across the keys, almost as if it was the one thing they were made to do.

 

“What are you doing?” Virgil slowed as he moved some of his focus to speech.

 

“I’m making a search to find either abandoned places that are in decent condition, or a dirt cheap apartment the owner will rent to anyone. I mean, we could brave the criminal underworld, but I’m not willing to risk it. To many people would be happy to turn us over for compensation.”

 

“You’d… know how to get to the criminal underworld?”

 

“I said that half the rumors had truth to them. I’m no ray of sunshine, that’s for sure.” After this, the conversation came to a halt. For the next four minutes or so, each was consumed by his own thoughts, with no noise save for the occasional tapping of Roman’s foot on pavement and Virgil’s fingers drumming on the keyboard. 

 

Finally, Virgil gives a triumphant “Got one!” and slams his laptop closed, before standing up.

 

“We’re going somewhere?”

 

“Yeah, I found a decent place. Come on.”


	6. Asking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group gets to their destination, but it'd be nice if the world could give Virgil a time to chill out and explain to the others properly what is going on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this is a bit later that intended. Have some unanswered questions to make up for it. :P
> 
> <3

“Uhh, Virgil, why couldn’t you just have used your teleportation - or whatever it is - to get us wherever we’re going?” 

 

The four ‘criminals’ were walking through back alleys, turning whenever Virgil said to, because even though the other three didn’t know him, they had no other option, and he  _ had _ just gotten them away from the school and certain prosecution. There was clearly more to the quiet emo than any of them had anticipated.

 

“Because, Dear Princey, I haven’t been where we’re going in recent memory, so there is an extremely high probability that we’d end up inside the floor, or something similar. On top of that, disintegrating four people’s bodies into shadow before putting them back together again perfectly takes a crap ton of energy. To do that twice in quick succession after consciously suppressing my ability to do so for years would knock me unconscious for hours, and that’s if I lived.” That shut Roman up for a bit. Apparently shock and a threat of gore or violence works wonders for that kid’s motor mouth.

 

“Yeah...don’t do that, kiddo.”

 

“Once again, I’m older than you. And I’m not going to. I don’t have a death wish.”  _ Anymore, at least.  _ **_Or do you?_ ** _ I don’t, not until these three are safe.  _ **_Ooh, look at Virgil being all self sacrificial. You don’t care for them, do you? You know what happens when you care._ ** _ Yeah, I know. But they outed themselves and supposedly killed someone to protect me, I’m not going to leave them out here to fend for themselves. _

 

A whine startled him out of his internal battle.

 

“How much longer?”

 

“We’re like two minutes away, quit your wailing, Sir Sings-A-Lot.”

 

“Hah! I like that nickname, and I’m gonna use it now.”

 

“Whatever repairs your over inflated ego, Princey.”

 

“Play nice, kiddos.”

 

“For the last time, I’m older than you.”

 

“Doesn’t mean you’re not my kiddo, kiddo!”

 

“... I cannot be bothered to argue. This way.”

 

“It’s  _ another _ gloomy alleyway?”  _ This maze is all I knew for a year, get over it, will you. _

 

“This is my domain, theatre geek. And we’re now part of one of the most hunted and hated groups of people in this city, so a dark alley with literally no one around is one of the safest places we can be. Put your safety over your aesthetic, for once, will you.”

 

“...are Extremes really hunted?”

 

“The government is giving rewards for anyone who brings people with unnatural occurrences in for ‘questioning’, so I can only assume there are bounty hunters looking for anyone they can claim possesses some sort of paranormal ability.”

 

“Yeah. There are worse than bounty hunters trying, too.”

 

“Worse?”

 

“... Yeah. People who live in the shadows that most Extremes gravitate to for protection.”

 

“Like us, Finding Emo?”

 

“Yeah, except we’re going to people I’ve met and places I’ve been to, and know well enough that we can get away from anywhere. A group of four is usually pretty safe, anyway.”

 

“Only ‘pretty safe’?” The fear in Patton’s eyes almost made Virgil melt.

 

“Pretty safe is as safe as we’re going to get, unfortunately.”  **_Unless you took them to-_ ** _ NO. No. I’m not taking them there, are you insane?  _ **_I’m your insanity, I can’t be insane myself._ ** _ That’s worse. And going there wouldn’t exactly be safe, would it? The danger would just be different.  _ **_But you’ll end up there, you’ll see. You’re addicted to the pain._ ** Virgil ignored that as he noticed that they had arrived at their destination.

 

“We’re here.” Virgil stopped outside a door that was in really good condition, considering the circumstances.

 

“Finally. Let’s go in already!”

 

“No, I was planning on sitting out here ‘till midnight. Who do you think I am, Princey?”

 

“Well -”

 

“Rhetorical question, Roman.”

“...Right. Anyway, open the door, Hot Topic!”

 

“Whatever you say, Your Royal Idiocy.” Roman gave away an indignant huff as Virgil tentatively opened the door. 

 

In the large, open room they were in there was a kitchen that appeared to be well-stocked, a couple of tables, two other doors that Logan assumed led to other rooms, and four beds. One with plain white sheets, one white with an ornate pattern of golden crowns, one baby blue with clouds and one with a black and purple plaid bedspread that seemed to make Virgil short-circuit (figuratively, of course, he’s pretty sure that Virgil is not a robot) everytime he looked at them. The space was well kept to the point where it made Logan uneasy. 

 

_ Surely an abandoned building that has been refurbished to house fugitives wouldn’t be this tidy? Or this… homely?  _ He decided to voice his thought to see if he could get an explanation from the one that brought them here.

 

“It’s... nice. Almost too nice.” Virgil didn’t reply, just looked back to the bed that made him involuntarily freeze.  _ That looks familiar. Really… familiar. And it can’t be anything good. _

 

“Hey, Virgil?” Virgil tore his gaze away from the bed to look at Patton. “Do you know what this is?” Patton was holding up a small business card that had nothing but a swirling black and yellow symbol printed on it. Something about it made Virgil’s  stomach lurch. And then he put the pieces together. The bed, the unmovable door and the symbol were all because of- **_Told you you couldn’t resist this place._ ** That.

 

“Shit.  _ Shit. _ No, no, no, no, no. This isn’t happening.” Behind them, the door began to slide close. Virgil sprinted for it, still not quite knowing why, but knowing it had something to do with the people that made him so messed up. That gave him his  **Madness,** his **Anxiety,** his **Trauma.** The reason he couldn’t live a normal life. The only reason any of Dolos’ rumors had any semblance of truth in them. He knew that that door closing was something he’d give his life to avoid.

 

He missed the door by a fraction of a second.

 

“Shit.” He tried the handle, hoping he was wrong. It wouldn’t budge. He kicked the door out of frustration. The door didn’t move a millimetre. Giving up, he turned around and sank down against the door blocking their way out.

 

“Well, it looks like the universe isn’t gonna give me a goddamn break anytime soon, is it?”


	7. Explaining

“So, we can’t get out?” There had been a few seconds of silence after the door slammed, but Roman seemed to be incapable of shutting up. Still.

“Precisely. Goddammit, why did I repress the fact that this was _this place._ Kinda would’ve been nice to remember. _”_

 

“Wait, we have superpowers, why can’t we use them to get out.”

 

“Go ahead and try. If it worked, I wouldn’t have been stuck in this room for months.”

 

“...You’ve been stuck in here... before?” Virgil put his hand up as an indication to wait, clamping his eyes shut and burying his face into his arm.

 

_Oh. My god. That’s what happened…_

 

About thirty seconds later, he looked back up, and started to explain what had happened. _Fuck it._ _No point in lying if we’re stuck in here. They’d find out eventually from His taunting, anyway._

 

“Three years ago, I stumbled upon a man who called himself Deceit. He told me he could give me shelter and help me hide from my Mum, and all I needed to do was go with him.”

 

“You needed to hide from your Mum?”

 

“Unless I wanted to be sold on the black market to live as whatever whoever had bought me wanted, yes. I should have thought about the fact that my supposed saviour was called Deceit, because literally everything he said was a lie. He brought me here, and I guess you can work out what happened next. I basically couldn’t think for shock until I’d been here a week. I tried everything to get out, checked every square inch of this place a million times over, but nothing worked.”

 

“But you got out eventually.”

  


“Yeah. Remember I said everything Deceit said when we first met was a lie? He said he could keep me away from Mum. That was included in the lies. He couldn’t. She found this place, bust the door down, and grabbed me before just _running_. She carried me for probably, running through dark alleys. Eventually I had a panic attack trying to process what happened, and figure out what I was going to do. I knew for a fact she wasn’t rescuing me because she cared. When I properly came to, I found myself in an alley, covered in scratches, bruises and blood, next to a pile of something like shadow dust; pieces of pure darkness that had once been my mother. I had destroyed her in my panic, and I couldn’t even remember why.”

 

“God, Virgil… I…”

 

“This is probably an insensitive question, so, sorry, I guess, but… how are you still… sane… after all that?”

 

“I… I’m not sure I am, completely. In addition to my heightened Anxiety from being Extreme, I have a voice in my head that calls itself Insanity, Depression, Trauma or Addiction, depending on the day and situation, and I’m pretty sure that’s anything but normal.”

 

“...What on earth?”

 

“Yeah. It’s not exactly the nicest thing to live with.”

 

“It’s mean?”

 

“No shit. That’s the understatement of the century.”

 

“What kind of things does it tell you? If you’re okay with sharing, of course.”

 

“That caring for or trusting anyone for even a second will only hurt me, that no one cares, that if I disappeared off the face of the earth nobody would notice, and that doing so would make everyone happier. That I’m nothing but trouble. That I’ll always go running back to Deceit, because I’m addicted to the pain of being here, the pain I can’t remember. And that’s on a good day.” Silence. _God, I freaked them out didn’t I. They think I’m insane._ **_You are, honey._ **

 

“What.”

 

“Yeah. Welcome to my life.”

 

“Oh, kiddo.” Suddenly Virgil was enveloped by a softly crying Patton, and his presence next to him, the physical contact grounding him from reality, was so nice, so unusual for Virgil, that he couldn’t bring himself to pull away, and Insanity was too stunned to make one of its usual deprecating remarks.

 

Suddenly there was a body on his other side, and a hand tentatively running through his hair. He hadn’t even realised he’d started crying too. Logan was the one on his other side, which was a surprise. Everyone knew logan wasn’t good with emotions. A few seconds - or longer, Virgil didn’t know - later, he looked up to see Roman pacing the room, clearly annoyed with his inability to do anything on this situation.

 

“Roman, you okay?”

 

“Am I okay? You should be worrying about yourself right now.”

**_I told you you care for them._ **

_With you telling me I’m worth nothing-_ **_Which is true, by the way-_ **

_How can I not care for anyone else? I have to care about_ something.

**_I don’t care whether it’s possible or not, you’re going to do it._ **

_Or what? I’m already at rock bottom right now._ ** _Is that a challenge, sweetheart?_** Suddenly the singsong, teasing, mocking tone he was used to from Trauma was gone, a serious threat taking it's place. _ **I**_ ** _can make your life worse than hell, Virgil. Take the easy way out._**

“Are you alright, Verge? You keep, like, spacing out or something.”

 

“Stupid Voice. Trauma, probably.”

 

“You space out like that when you’re talking to it?”

 

“Yeah, I guess. Damn, I don’t have my notebook.” That earned a questioning look.

 

“I normally write down everything the Voice says. Helps me to rationalise it a bit, and work out which one it was. I pretty much treat them as separate entities most of the time. I’ve never talked to two at once, though.”  

 

The four continued to talk, moving to more light hearted topics as they let their current predicament sink in. For the first time in years, Virgil felt completely at ease as he let the voices, and Deceit, fade to the back of his mind. Not repressed, just tabled for another day.

  
Until a flap in one of the doors they had previously ignored opened, and a slip of paper fell out. The four boys in the room froze, until Virgil got up to read the text with a sigh, his heart heavy. _Nothing on a note is ever good news._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unambiguous ending? Who's she? Never heard of her.  
> Cliffhangers aside, sorry this took so long, I guess Homework + Writer's block + not the greatest mental health = late chapter. I've got holidays after tomorrow, so hopefully I can churn out some more quality(not) content.


	8. Bargaining

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Virgil and Deceit have a little chat, and Virgil makes a rash decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, an actual chapter! It's a bit short, but what can you do?
> 
> Thank you to my lovely friend Luella for nagging me to get this done, without her this would've taken far longer than it has!

_They watched as he got up with a sigh and picked up the note, scanning the contents before beginning to read the eight words to the other three. They knew exactly what was being said when, what he was thinking. After all, having a friend that can literally be a voice in someone’s head would give you a pretty good idea of their thought process. With their little heart to hearts as well, they could practically read his mind. They watched as he realised what the note they had given him was saying._

 

 _They watched as he held up a hand to stop his companions angry exclamations and protests against what he was going to do next. They watched as he gave a nod to the one in a tie and gave the emotional one a hug, before pushing against one of the three doors in the room, which gave a creak and jolted open, causing him to stumble forward, as he had put his weight against the door. By the time he had regained his footing, he was inside the room. They ran their now gloved hands along the_ ~~_awful_~~ _gorgeous scales on their face,_ _hating_ _admiring the_ ~~_deformity_~~ _beauty_ _they had to hide from the world whenever their were not in their rightful place. they turned away from the wall-mounted mirror they had been looking at, nodded at their companion, and went to meet their little pawn once again._

 

o0OoO0OoO0OoO0OoO0o

 

“Well hello again, My Little Thunder.” Virgil eyes flashed, and he stiffened, both from the nickname and from the presence of the demon that had ruined his life, alongside his manipulative bitch of a mother.

 

“Don’t you _fucking dare_ call me that. I’m not little, and I’m not yours. Not anymore.”

 

_‘My Little Thunder’ was the nickname Virgil’s dad had given him before he died. He had been the only light in Virgil’s small universe, the only one who had ever known he could control shadows. The official reports said he committed suicide, but the anxious Extreme sorely doubted that. His parents had had a fight the night before he was found lying in a pool of his own blood, and his mother had threatened to kill him in his sleep, to which his father had replied ‘“I’d rather you killed me than ruined our son’s future”. The monster of a woman decided to do both, evidently._

 

“We’ll see.”

 

“Why do we need to wait to see something we already know. It’s painfully fucking obvious.”

 

 _“_ Why must you break my heart with your hostility, sweetheart?”

 

“‘Cause you deserve it, Deceit. We both know why we’re here and how this works, so cut to the chase.”

 

“If you insist, gorgeous.” The conversation stalled for a second of tense silence before resuming.

 

“So, you and your friends all have your special powers, then?”

 

“How do you know that?” Virgil snapped, clearly shocked at his captor’s knowledge

 

“I have my ways, dear.” A flash of recognition flew across Virgil’s face before being suppressed, but the other chose to ignore it. ~~_That cover’s blown_~~ _It’s nothing._

 

“Well... okay, what about it?”

 

“I was just thinking. I could sell the five of you for a nice little profit, I could turn you over to authorities for a slightly larger profit - you’re wanted for murder, you know, there are signs all over town already, or I could keep you here, and risk you escaping from here, whereas if you escaped from the hands of someone else it wouldn’t be my problem. I wanted your input. Should I go with one of those options, or do you have a better idea.” Virgil’s face was stony.

 

“I do, as a matter of fact. Why don’t you just let us go live our lives. It’s not like we could be out in the open long anyway.”

 

“But what do _I_ get out of it?”

 

“Vaguely decent morals?” At this, Deceit chuckled.

 

“My dear, does it look like I care about any of that?”

 

“Well, it doesn’t _look_ like it, but I’ve got a hunch.”

 

“Well your hunch hasn’t a grain of truth in it, honey. Besides, doing one morally okay thing doesn’t change someone’s beliefs permanently, does it, now?”

 

“Fine. Let the others go, then. They didn’t ask for this.”

 

“And you, my only, will stay?” Virgil hesitated.

 

“...yes. I will.”

 

“And you won’t ever try to leave? Or resist? Or disobey?” At this, Virgil gave a deep breath, stealing himself to the thought of what he was about to agree to, just to get three people he wasn’t even really friends with out of this hell and into a world that was actively hunting them down. He prayed they’d be okay without him.

 

“...Never.”

 

“That’s good, Virgil. I’m glad. You know how to seal a deal with me, don’t you?”

 

“Of course I do. And I hate it.”

 

“Now, now, Virgil, no resisting means no complaining, you know this.”

 

“The pact hasn’t technically been made yet, so, I’m allowed.”

 

With this, Deceit approached the anxious Extreme, and they kissed, Virgil reluctantly, and his deceitful captor with a twisted, smug satisfaction only he seemed to be able to display.

 

“You get half an hour with them before they leave, and you and I can spend as long as we’d like together, princess.”

 

Virgil turned just before closing the door he had previously entered through, adding one last statement he was now obligated to say.

 

“Thank you, _Master_.”

 

It was only then Virgil realised the gravity of his agreement. It felt like a deal with the devil.

 

Maybe, in a way, it was.


	9. Parting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A plan is formulated, a door is opened, and farewells are left unsaid.

As the door shut, Virgil sank to the floor and put his head in his hands. It suddenly struck him how many times he’d done that during the course of the day. 

 

He gave a choked laugh. Not because it was funny, but because of the sheer absurdity of his situation. Because he’d just sold his soul for three people he hadn’t talked to until they saved him from his school bully, who just turned out to be the demon that had almost single-handedly made his life hell. Who could make him start crying with a single word.

 

_ What the fuck have I done?  _

 

**_Something bad, unless you can manage to fix it. I told you you couldn’t resist him._ **

 

_ I hate it when you’re right, you know that? _  
  


**_Of course I do, I wouldn't have kept doing it otherwise._ **

 

“You okay there?” Virgil gave a second dry, heartless chuckle.

 

“Am I okay? I just swore to obey the person who pretty much made me unable to function as a human being for the rest of my life. Who, by the way, is the bully we thought you killed!” His voice became louder and more incredulous as he spoke.

 

“...What?” Virgil got up and sat on one of the beds - it didn’t seem to bother him anymore. At least, if it was he wasn’t showing it. He swung his legs and looked up at the ceiling before he started his explanation.

 

“Deceit was pretending to be a high school student to torment me.”

 

“How?”

 

“How did he do it, or how did I work it out? You’re going to have to be more specific with your questions, Logan, we’ve only got half an hour.”

 

“Why have we only- oh, never mind. How did Deceit do it, to start with.”

 

“He’s an Extreme. Got shapeshifting, I reckon.”

 

“Okay, that’s not great. And how did you know?”

 

“Whenever ‘Dolos’,”- he made quotation marks with his hands - “started a new rumor with some form of truth, he’d corner me and torment me about it. There was no other way that he could know. I just refused to see it, what with my limited memory of it and all. But talking to him just then, he said ‘I have my ways, dear,” when I asked how he knew you three are Extremes. He’d say that everytime I asked ‘Dolos’ how he knew about my past. That’s when I realised.”

 

“Okay…”

 

“And why do we only have half an hour?” Virgil gave a resigned sigh before answering. He really didn’t want to have to talk about what was happening.

 

“Because you guys can leave.” A pause. One, two, three seconds of silence.

 

“What?”

 

“I said, you three get to leave.” Patton and Roman smiled, relieved, but Logan was smart enough to read between the lines and see what Virgil was really saying.

 

“But you don’t?” That wiped the smiles from the two’s faces.

 

“No. You three will leave, and forget I ever existed.”

 

“No!”

 

“YES. There’s no other way to do this.”

 

“We’ll come back for you. Get reinforcements. Tell the police you’re here.”

 

“The police wouldn’t be able to do squat, even if they wanted to. You’d have to tell them what happened, which they won’t believe, and they’d realise you’re Extremes and assume you’re criminals, trying to lure them into a trap. You’d be arrested, given a show trial and be imprisoned for life or executed. Not to mention they have no obligation to investigate a matter concerning someone with no official records.”

 

“Then we’ll help you ourselves.”

 

“You won’t stand a chance.”

 

“More of a chance than if we don’t try. We will find something.”

 

_ What the hell do I do? They’re not going to give up.  _

 

**_Maybe you should actually trust them. They aren't mindless idiots, you know._ **

 

_ What? You’ve spent at least four years being fucking Mad-eye Moody, telling me ‘CONSTANT VIGILANCE’, and now you’re fucking telling me to trust three people I’ve never spoken with until today? _

 

**_I mean, it’s not like you can do anything else._ **

 

_ I can give them a chance at a decent fucking life! _

 

**_They won’t last long without you and you know it. They’d be living on borrowed time, and not much of it._ **

 

“Virgil?” The person in question shook his head back and forth in a feeble attempt to clear it.

 

_ Okay. This better work.  _ **_It will._ **

 

Virgil took a breath, leaned forward, and spoke in a lowered tone, almost a whisper. 

 

“It’s not like I can stop you, so here’s what I know. There are seven rooms...” He gave every single scrap of information he thought might help, undeterred by the unpleasant memories these things brought with them.

 

They bounced ideas back and forth, somehow not letting their emotions get in the way. There were no snide remarks or clever nicknames. It took them twenty-seven minutes to come up with a plan they thought could possibly work. It was a stretch, but it was all they had.

 

Soon after, the door Virgil had gone through to talk to Deceit opened a crack, and a gloved hand stuck out.

 

“Oh, Virgil! It’s time for our guests to leave, so say your goodbyes, sweetheart” The singsong voice made all four shiver.

 

**_Go now. If you just go, it’ll hurt less._ **

 

It was strange to have the voice giving sound advice, but it certainly made sense.Virgil made sure nothing in his words or his tone indicated any emotion. If he let himself be anything but cold, he would be too overwhelmed to stand.

 

“I’ve got to go. Be careful.” Before the others could answer, Virgil stood up and walked to the door, taking the gloved hand with his shaking one.

 

He only had a second to look back to his companions, his heart breaking despite his best efforts, before he was unceremoniously yanked through the doorway.

 

For the remaining three, one door closed and another one opened. Desperate for freedom and scared of being trapped in the room, they left as soon as possible. 

 

Their hearts were heavy with the feeling that they would never see their newfound fourth friend again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am really sorry for my nonexistent update schedule. Hopefully I'll get my act together soon, and get a few more chapters done!
> 
> <3

**Author's Note:**

> Feel free to leave a comment with your opinions if you so desire, and please notify me if you see a typo or grammatical mistake, or if there is something I should give a warning for.   
> Constructive criticism is always welcome! 
> 
> <3


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